Shine on Me
by Sourpatch-Devil
Summary: Zanpakuto depended on the master's soul…I couldn't help but think that a dragon and a phoenix meeting was too much of a coincidence to be real. HitsuxOC. Discontinued.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey ppls! This is my first Bleach fic so I don't know how I'll do...reviews and feedback always help! R & R! I don't own Bleach!_

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Shine on Me

Chapter 1

It came closer, every foul breath shaking me like a ragdoll, nearly dismembering my every limb. My younger brother cowered behind me as the masked being leaned closer, the corners of its mouth curled into a sinister grin, closed eyes sharing the same smile. I stared at it for as long as I could manage, examining the bleached color, the facial expression engraved on the mask, the impatient swishing tail and gargantuan scarlet arms, hands clenched into fists. For one thing, it definitely wasn't human.

Or was it?

The thing's long tail lashed out at us, coming fast like a red whip about to hit an upturned bottom. I stood in front of my brother, arms outstretched as to form a shield, every muscle tensing for the potentially lethal blow. However, he pulled me away from the oncoming tail, throwing me behind him with his surprising strength. He left me to roll on the dusty pavement, scratches covering my legs and arms; I gritted my teeth as the rocks and pebbles rubbed my skin raw. My brother got the full impact of the monster's attack, and was swung toward a wall of a building, dust clouds billowing into the clear sky. I could faintly make out his silhouette, and once the dust dispersed I got a look at his condition, and cried out in grief.

He had formed a dent in the wall, back arched at an awkward angle. Ribbons of blood weaved in and out of his spiky brown hair, finally coming to a halt after sliding down his forehead like a red snake, going down the side of his nose. His eyes were closed, face twisted in pain. Then, a second later, he crumpled to the ground, a motionless heap.

"Kyousuke…" I whimpered. The monster noticed, and turned his ugly head toward me. I refused to look at the intimidating mask, eyelids closing as to block my vision of it. It didn't advance forward to kill me; it just simply stood there like a statue.

"Hmm…I knew I sensed some strong reiatsu here, but I thought it would be from the boy," it muttered to itself, and cocked its head to the left. "But it looks like it's this puny little girl here."

Reiatsu? What the heck was he talking about? It didn't register fully in my brain, but I yelled anyways, "I don't care if you take my life. As long as I'm with my brother I'll be fine!"

I knew the grin on the mask would have stretched from ear to ear. "Oh, how brave a soul. This will be a tasty one for sure." An apple-red hand reached out eagerly, and I waited for it to close on my whole body, suffocating me until I was equal to that of a popped balloon. But, I heard a swish of a sword and a horrific scream, and looked up, covering my ears as I did so. The monster clutched its amputated hand, still screaming, and I gazed around as to see who had saved me.

There, clad in a white haori with "ten" on the back and a black kimono, was a figure probably the same age I was. He had spiky white hair that pointed in all directions, much like my brother's, and his back was turned on me, right hand grasping a katana with a chain-blade dangling from the hilt. Then, he disappeared and reappeared behind the monster, cutting its head off with one fluid slice. I flinched as some of the blood splattered on me, and the monster seemed to disappear in a million different particles. He started to turn, returning to where he had come from, but I pleaded, "Wait! Don't go!"

He froze, and swiveled around. "How do you see me?" he hissed after a moment of silence, glaring at my chocolate brown eyes with his mystifying turquoise ones. His mouth was set into a rather firm line, which made me wonder about his overall personality.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded. "Aren't you just a regular person? Couldn't anyone see you kill that monster?"

"No," he scoffed, sheathing his sword. "I'm a shinigami. Regular people cannot see me." Then, he came up to me in an orderly manner and inspected my face closely. He asked, "Have you been able to see spirits?"

My mind raced at his words, questions swimming in my head like frantic fish escaping a hungry shark. "Like that monster thing? I've never seen anything like it, but I have seen some people who seemed quite transparent to me. My brother has been able to too," I replied shakily, twiddling my fingers.

His expression still remaining stoic, he inquired, "Did he say something about a strong reiatsu coming from you?"

Although it wasn't necessarily clear to me, I nodded.

He stared at me for a moment more, then said, "I'll see you at midnight."

That statement caught me off-guard. "Wait, why?"

"You'll see," he replied with a small smile, and disappeared.

Dazed, I stumbled over to where Kyousuke was lying on the ground. Before I could get two meters in front of him, police came and restrained me from getting near.

"He's my brother, let me go!" I screamed in one's ear.

"No. Just go back home," the man replied, pushing me aside like Kyousuke did.

"I can't!" Fighting back the tears that began to sting my eyes, I charged at the man, but he grabbed my arm in an iron grasp and told me firmly:

"You have to."

I tore myself away from him and ran as fast as my legs would allow to the little shack I had made with my brother. We were all alone in this world, our parents nowhere to be found. Plopping myself onto the numerous pillows we had stolen during our lifetime, I lay face down and thought of everything that had happened so far. Number one: that monster thing had come and killed my brother. Number two: the mystery boy came and killed the monster. Number three: medics were now taking my brother's dead body away. I sobbed until I felt all tears were gone from me, and finally fell asleep to the sound of my crying. I had forgotten all about the boy's message.

It wasn't like I needed to remember, anyway.

* * * * *

"It's such a bright midnight! The moon's shining with the strength of the sun! How is this even possible?" a female voice grumbled, knocking into a chair.

"Quiet, you'll wake up the girl," the boy from before commanded.

I opened my eyes and struggled to get up, weary from yesterday. "I'm awake now," I muttered, rubbing my sore eyes. "What do you want?"

"Captain Hitsugaya here said you had some type of reiatsu that the Hollow wanted," said the woman, brushing away her long orange hair that cascaded down her shoulders, and squinted in the room. She also wore a black kimono, but didn't have the white haori, and her katana was slung on her back, the guard in the shape of a cat's head. Adding on to that, her periwinkle eyes glittered in the night, much like a cat. "How do you sleep in this place?" she asked incredulously. "I would never be able to take my daily nap."

I stretched a little and stood, almost falling due to dizziness. "I usually don't," I admitted. "I have never been able to sleep well in this town."

"Is that her reiatsu?" the woman whispered to the boy (did she say _captain?_). He nodded in agreement, eyes searching me. I glowered at them for talking about me, right in front of me. I wasn't deaf; surely they could see that.

"Stealing things can't be my reiatsu or whatever you just called it," I scoffed.

"No," the captain said. "It's light."

What?

He nodded toward the woman, ignoring my look of confusion. "She's Rangiku Matsumoto, my lieutenant, and I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya, captain of the tenth division of the Gotei 13. We are, as I've explained to you before, shinigami, and our mission is to rid the world of all Hollows and other evil forces. I'm convinced that you will make a good shinigami in the Soul Society, considering your interesting reiatsu, or spiritual pressure."

It was as if lightning struck me a hundred times. "Hold on a minute!" I exclaimed. "How can I, a parentless child of 12 years, have supernatural powers? That seems quite crazy, if you ask me."

In a blink of an eye, Toshiro drew out his sword and rested it on my shoulder, the blade dangerously close to my neck, silver glinting in the light. I stiffened as he talked, not daring to breathe near the katana. "You will," he growled, "become a shinigami, as you are someone of rather powerful abilities."

"That's not a good enough reason," I protested with a glare. "And if I can control light or whatnot, how does that form into power?"

"Do you want to avenge the death of your brother?"

A chill ran through my body and down my spine as he said those words, his icy gaze seemingly affecting me. It was true, I did want to avenge the death of my brother, but did I have to join them to do so? What would my brother think about my decision? Would he approve of it or be furious at me for choosing to do so? Nevertheless, I thought that life in heaven or whatnot would be better than in this rundown shack, so I uttered a quiet "Yes," looking down at my toes.

His gaze softened, and put the sword back into its sheath. "Alright, come with us." Before turning, he added, "What is your name?"

I hesitantly replied, "Yoshiko Hamano."

He held out his hand. "Welcome aboard."

I took his hand, and the next thing I knew was that everything would change.

Everything.


	2. Chapter 2

_I've been using phoenixes a LOT in my stories...idk, I like mythological animals. I also don't know why I like having light as a special ability for OCs (Another story of mine, Little Dragon, has this ability for the OC, but in a different way.) R & R!_

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Chapter 2

It all came in a blur. I was in my shack, then I wasn't. I blinked, and the next thing I knew was that many, many kimono-clad figures were staring at me, twelve more of them wearing the white haori. Not wanting to look foolish on my first day in the Soul Society, I stared every one of them in the eye, trying not to blink. An old man wearing the haori stepped forward, stroking his long beard. Toshiro murmured, "Captain-commander Yamamoto," and he and Rangiku bowed respectfully. I bowed too, but Yamamoto chuckled and told me kindly, "Stand up, young one. Let me take a good look at you."

I waited nervously as he gazed at me much like Toshiro did. He then looked at Toshiro and asked, "So, why did you bring her?"

Toshiro returned the gaze evenly. "She and her brother were being attacked by a Hollow," he replied. "The Hollow said it sensed a strong reiatsu coming from her, and apparently it was right."

Shifting uncomfortably from toe to toe, I thought about what I could do. Steal, that's for sure. But fight…I've never learned to fight in my life. Katana hilts were visible in every corner, and it frightened me to know I would have to battle with one. How was I ever going to learn this?

"What is her reiatsu, then?" Yamamoto gazed thoughtfully at me.

"Light, Captain-Commander Yamamoto," Rangiku cut in. "This girl has the power to control light."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd like a rock dropped in a puddle. However, Yamamoto was the only one to stay silent. "I see. Very interesting." He turned to Rangiku. "Lieutenant Matsumoto?"

"Yes, Captain-Commander?"

"Get her a Soul Reaper kimono and a katana for her, please."

"By all means." She took me by the hand and led me off to a building, the cool touch of her fingers comforting me a little. Rangiku looked friendly enough to trust. I had to admit one thing: she had rather large cleavage.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto?" I asked hesitantly, not exactly looking at her.

"Just Rangiku is fine with me," she replied, smiling down at me, expression showing no hatred. "What is it?"

"How do you expect me to learn all this when I have no knowledge in fighting?"

"It'll be fine," she reassured me. "Captain Hitsugaya was just like you."

"Really?" I wondered.

"Yeah. I found him when he was a kid, younger than you were, and he had no control over his reiatsu then, which is ice. I brought him here and look at him now, he's my captain and I'm his lieutenant. He was truly a genius."

"He's only a little older than I am!" I argued. "And…"

Rangiku clapped a hand over my mouth. "Don't let him hear that," she whispered. "He hates being referred to as a kid. Also, we've all lived at least over a hundred years."

My jaw hit the floor. "So if I'm here, I'm at least ten or twenty or even fifty times younger than everyone else?"

She smiled. "Yep. Don't deny it."

My jaw continued to drag along the floor as we walked to one of the buildings.

-Toshiro's POV-

"You'll be the one training her, Captain Hitsugaya."

A little shocked, I asked, "Why me?"

"You're the only one who has knowledge of what it's like being young and learning all these overwhelming parts of being a Soul Reaper here," Yamamoto said firmly. "But, you must go easy on her. Start the training tomorrow."

I nodded, and bowed again. "I understand."

"Alright. Dismissed!"

Everyone started leaving, but I remained stationary in the field. Matsumoto and Yoshiko were only specks against the whistling green grass and the dazzling night sky. Sighing, I returned to the tenth division's building. I didn't know how I was going to make this girl strong.

For one thing, she was a human with an unnatural reiatsu. Second, she would be quite hard to train, as she didn't have much knowledge of fighting. Third, Hyourinmaru is telling me that there was something about her reiatsu that would clash or work in harmony with him.

We would have to see, wouldn't we?

-Yoshiko's POV-

I dressed quickly into the kimono, not wanting to be slow on my first day here. Grabbing the katana Rangiku had chosen for me- just a normal katana with a diamond-shaped guard- I strapped it onto my back securely. Pushing the door open, I called out, "Rangiku?"

"Yes?" came the lazy reply. Turning my head to the right, I saw Rangiku leaning against the wall, legs stretched out. She yawned widely and stood up, holding her hand out. "I'll lead you to Squad Ten's barracks. Now wouldn't be the perfect time for training, wouldn't you agree?" She yawned again, not bothering to cover her mouth.

I nodded and followed Rangiku out into the field, admiring the glimmering stars and the full moon. I felt more at ease outside alone, along with the moon and stars or the shining sun. Thinking about this, I stumbled a bit, but quickly stopped myself from falling. "I'm rather tired," I admitted sleepily. "I've had a long day."

"We're here already, so rest up."

Walking into the rectangular building, I wearily plopped myself onto a mat that Rangiku directed me onto, taking the katana off my back and setting it beside me. Without a moment's hesitation, I fell asleep once more.

* * * * *

The next thing I knew, I was dreaming.

In my dream it was dark; I felt like I was floating in a world of black. There was nothing to see, smell, hear, taste, or feel. I cautiously took a step forward, making sure that I wouldn't fall and the dream would be over. Feeling my foot touch a flat surface, I walked a few more steps, but a voice asked me,

"Where are you going?"

I whipped around to see a bird's beak in my face, and fell on my bottom. I was paralyzed with fear; the giant bird glared at me, spreading her golden wings out. Her tail feathers were longer than most birds, brilliant in its glowing quality. I started to speak, but another voice reproached the bird: "Calm down, nii-chan." A similar bird walked beside its sister, plumage gleaming silver. Her neck bowed down until her head was level with mine, and murmured, "Konichiwa, master." Turning her head slightly, she narrowed her beady eyes at her sister, and her sister grudgingly bowed as well.

I opened my mouth again, but no words came out. I mean, what are you supposed to say with two huge birds bowing down to you?

"I'll explain," the silver one said as if she were reading my mind, and straightened. "We are both your zanpakuto."

"My what?"

"Literally 'soul slayer,'" the golden one interrupted. "Otherwise known as the katana you received, your weapon. Although it's only a regular katana, it will transform after you are familiar with us."

"I apologize for our sudden appearance," the silver one added. "I'm Tsuki Hinotori, and my sister is Taiyo Hinotori."

"Hinotori…" I uttered. I felt almost unbalanced, being in front of two mythological creatures. "You two are phoenixes?"

Tsuki Hinotori bowed once more. "Yes, we are phoenixes. You'll be using Taiyo Hinotori during the day for battle, and you'll be using me during the night. I control ice, Taiyo controls fire. Taiyo, being my oneechan, is more powerful than I am." I didn't know if birds could smile, but I sure thought that a smile was apparent when Tsuki turned to Taiyo.

"You're a little more patient, Tsuki," Taiyo grumbled.

"Well, naturally."

"Don't give me that…"

"I can't help it…"

It amused me to see these two phoenixes bicker. A pang then struck me in the chest, and I winced a little even though I knew it wasn't real; I missed Kyousuke. We would bicker all the time: usually it was about who was better in contests like whoever got the most bread or whoever would lay on most of the pillows; it brought back memories. Tsuki and Taiyo noticed my wince, and Tsuki asked with concern, "Is everything alright, master?"

"Yes," I lied. "I'm fine." Goosebumps formed on my arms, but it wasn't because I was scared: it was because I couldn't possibly be the master of two beautiful birds. Smiling shyly, I added, "Please, call me Yoshiko."

Taiyo eyed me with a suspicious glance, then looked at Tsuki. "What do you think about that zanpakuto, Hyourinmaru?" she asked her nonchalantly, ignoring me completely.

The slightest bit of red crept onto Tsuki's silver cheeks, and she folded her wings and turned away in a huff. "What are you talking about, Taiyo?" Her singsong voice did not stutter once as she said this. "Just because we're fellow ice zanpakuto doesn't necessarily mean I like him."

"But," Taiyo said slyly, "He is a dragon, and you are a phoenix."

Tsuki refused to look at her sister. "Does that matter, oneechan?"

"Um…" I interrupted Taiyo. "Who are you talking about?"

"You surely should know," Taiyo scoffed. "Captain Hitsugaya's zanpakuto. You didn't see him use Hyourinmaru?"

"No…"

"Ah, well, you'll see someday." Tilting her head to look at something I couldn't possibly imagine, she muttered to Tsuki, "We should go, sister."

Tsuki nodded once. "Alright." Staring at me with her calm gaze, she told me, "If you want to summon us, call out 'Shine' for one of us, depending on what time it is. Sayonara; we shall meet again." Suddenly, with an intense burst of light, she and Taiyo disappeared, with two phoenix feathers taking their place. They floated up, linking together with the slightest touch, and my katana started materializing right in front of me, the phoenix feathers attaching themselves onto the end of the hilt. The world started swirling around me, the darkness fading out of existence, and that was when I woke up, the sun shining in my face. I glanced at my katana; it indeed had changed. Reaching over in disbelief, I felt the smoothness of the feathers; they were indeed real.

"You awake now?"

My head turned toward the source, and I saw Toshiro, arms folded, waiting patiently for me. I nodded, but didn't say anything, and stood up and walked to his side. We started to head out the door, and he asked me, "Did you sleep well?"

A slight bob of my head was all I needed to inform him. He looked straight ahead again after acknowledging my action, but didn't ask me anything else. I stared at the blue sky and wondered,

Where are you now, Kyousuke?

-Kyousuke's POV-

I crouched in a corner of a dead end, tear tracks lining my dusty face, the sun at its fullest in the morning. Why did Yoshiko have to leave me? Why? Why did she have to run away from me instead of fight back?

Well, I considered, she didn't like to fight much. Also, I was really the one who ran away, being scared of that white-haired person. I had woken up numb and cold and sat up immediately, fearing for my sister's life. However, when I sat up, something didn't feel right…I looked down and saw my body lying there, lifeless in its own mutated form. The sky was already starting to darken, turning into the silent night. Then, looking back at the monster, I just saw its head being cut off by the figure; I didn't trust him, but was too scared to confront him. So thus I ran.

I only hid around the corner, breathing heavily after becoming a spirit. Peering out of my hiding spot, I caught the words "I'll see you at midnight" and my sister's surprised exclamation. Soon after he disappeared and I prepared to run to Yoshiko, but at that moment the police arrived, barring her from reaching my body. I knew we had both been able to see spirits; I stepped out of my hiding spot, hoping that she would catch a shimmer of my now transparent image. Unfortunately, she was paying too much attention to the police, yelled at one of them, and ran away from me. I stared dumbfounded at the figure hurrying away right before my eyes. I started to take a step forward, but was distracted once again as the medics started to take my body. Hiding behind a box in case one of them could see spirits (which I highly doubted any of them could) I glowered at the medics as they put my body into an ambulance, and I swear I heard one of them say, "Let's try and contact his parents."

I snorted scornfully. Who were they to think that we were just like anyone else? Standing up, I started to walk around, battered and bruised, but no one noticed anyway. Pain seared my back, and I bit my lip to keep from crying out. Looks like I couldn't chase after my sister. However, I knew patience was a virtue…I started walking toward our shack, which wasn't visible yet. After a couple minutes, I had a feeling something was watching me…whipping around, I saw another ghost-white mask, this time the body being in the form of something that resembled an amphibian. On instinct I ran, ignoring the pain as best as I could, although inside I wanted to scream endlessly. With horror I realized I was drawing closer to our shack, and Yoshiko would be in danger if the monster reached her. I swerved to the right, veering the monster away from the direction of our 'home'.

Now I had to hide somewhere.

Looking frantically around as I ran with my heart hammering, I spotted a dumpster ten meters away. Relief was soon replaced with dread as I knew that the monster was gaining on me and that I wouldn't have any time. Nevertheless, I continued to run toward it. A thump sounded behind me, and I took the smallest peek without stopping. Alas, it was another black kimono…this time the figure had spiky orange hair. A girl with black hair was standing nearby, wearing a regular school uniform.

_The guy looks like a carrot._

My dry humor didn't help much. Trepidation refueled my energy, as I didn't trust this person either. Wasn't there anyone to trust in this world? I finally reached the dumpster and clambered clumsily up and into it, hearing grunts from the carrot-head and high-pitched shrieks from the monster. I fell on my bottom into the awfully unsanitary dumpster, and immediately pinched my nose, swatting buzzing flies away as I did so. There was everything imaginable in the dumpster: banana peels, apple cores, old blankets, torn books, etc. I soon heard a final scream of agony, and by the pitch and tone I knew the carrot had defeated the monster quite easily, but also quite brutally.

_Why am I calling him a carrot? _I thought grimly inside my head.

He did look like one, though, hair-wise.

The figure started to speak. "Hey, Rukia, wasn't there a spirit that was being chased after?"

The girl probably nodded, as I didn't hear her reply. I was now scared of him as I was of the monster; I flung the blankets over my body, and shot out my hands to throw other pieces garbage on top of me, almost fully concealing my presence. Hearing footsteps, I dared not to breathe, and went limp in order to flatten myself under the blanket. A few minutes passed, but I assumed that the orange-head was still there and remained still, holding my breath for a record time. Finally, I could hear a sigh of frustration above and his voice saying, "I think the spirit disappeared, Rukia."

"It's fine, Ichigo," the girl responded. "You'll probably find him later." An audible grunt came, and his kimono rustled against the steel sides of the dumpster. Their footsteps started to fade, and I waited a few more minutes until I was sure they were gone. Trembling, I hauled my extra dirty self out of the dumpster, breathed in deeply and ran to my shack, checking carefully around the corners to see if the two people and the monster were there. The only trace of the battle was the blood-stained road, ruby liquid gleaming eerily on the black pavement. Alas, neither of them was anywhere, so I ran as fast as I could to our shack, avoiding splashing into the monster's blood. Stopping a few times, I glanced at the sky; the moon was full. I couldn't waste any more time.

The rotting wood was barely visible against the silhouettes of the other buildings, but I knew its location well enough to know where it was. Reaching the shack, I kicked at the piece of wood that was our door with all my might, and ran in.

Yoshiko was gone.

My eyes widened, and I started to tremble badly this time. I didn't believe that the time had passed already…how? I cursed under my breath and ran away, hiding myself in an alleyway where no one would disturb me. Before I knew it, tears started to slide down my cheeks, and that was where I was now. I clenched my fists and punched the wall, not caring about the blood that slithered between my knuckles or any of my injuries.

One thing I knew for sure: those kimonoed figures had done something to Yoshiko.

They were going to pay for this.


	3. Chapter 3

_Wow I've been getting a lot of favorites...thanks to everyone! If you want to know when these will be updated, add it to your story alert! R&R! ^o^ _

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Chapter 3

-Yoshiko's POV-

He finally came to a halt and faced me, motioning with his hand for me to back away a little. I did so obediently, and tried staring into his aqua eyes, but it almost never worked. His gaze seemed too piercing. The atmosphere around us was…chilling, almost as cold as the winter. It was almost everything to keep my arms from hugging myself. I looked up at the sky, and the sun immediately glared into my eyes. Looking back at him, I shivered and thought, _So this is his ice reiatsu?_

A moment later, the chills disappeared, and warmth returned to my body. He was still looking at me calmly, as if nothing had happened. I glared at him and demanded, "What was that all about?"

"You need to get used to other people's reiatsu," he replied. "I need to get used to yours, too. I hate the heat, anyway."

_Makes sense, _I muttered inside my head, but didn't dare say so. Another question hit me, and I asked carefully, "Captain Hitsugaya...?"

He blinked in surprise, but his expression was wiped off his face and he resumed the calm look. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "Some people don't call me by Captain Hitsugaya, and since you're new here, I'm surprised that you called me by my correct title. What was your question?" he added.

"If you're a captain and you're busy all the time, how did you manage to get time to train me?"

"I didn't. Matsumoto is doing the paperwork for me."

"Is that a good idea…?"

The smallest rueful smile appeared on his thin lips. "It looks like you've noticed too. What she really does is take naps and drink sake every day. However, she can be dedicated when she wants to be…otherwise, she wouldn't have been my lieutenant."

I shrugged. "What are you going to teach me?"

"First things first: you must learn to control your reiatsu."

"Explain, please."

He hesitated a moment. "It's more like willpower that helps control it; you have to wish to hide yourself, but trying to at the same time. This is a key in stealth. For example…" All of a sudden, he was gone, a cloud of dust marking the spot where he had been. I whipped around in bewilderment when I felt his breath on my neck, and almost toppled over being so close to him, his turquoise eyes boring into mine. He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back up. "You didn't feel my reiatsu then, did you?"

I shook my head; I indeed hadn't felt the chilling sensation.

"Combined with shunpo, high speed movements, it is useful for cornering the enemy or making them surrender." He let go of my arm, which was now quite sore. "Try hiding your reiatsu, here and now."

I took an intake of breath, closed my eyes and concentrated, every one of my nerves tingling in anticipation. I felt energy being drawn into me, stored inside of me, but didn't dare burst out once more. Once I was sure I finished hiding my reiatsu, I glanced up at the sky once more; the light seemed dimmer. Toshiro just stood there, and after a few moments of silence he finally said, "I think you've done it."

Happiness swelled up inside of me, but it was soon replaced with realization that it was only a small step to reaching my brother. I was indeed eager to learn all of this, so I asked, "What next?"

Toshiro pointed at the opposite side of the field. "Run there," he said simply.

"W-Wait a moment!" I cried. "I surely can't run as fast as anyone else here can…"

"Once you came here, you've already been altered in strength, speed, and abilities," he snapped. "In truth, you have already become a shinigami, and you are dead in the real world."

"Then where is my dead body?"

"I've hidden it somewhere so no one could find it," he said vaguely.

"So no one can find it…" I murmured. "Not even spirits?"

"Only shinigami can find it."

"Then Kyousuke…!" I blurted out suddenly. "His spirit is still wandering the city! He was probably looking for me, but he couldn't see me!"

His gaze hardened. "We'll find him and send him to Soul Society," he promised. "But first, you must learn most basics of being a Soul Reaper. Go and run to the area where I've directed you to."

"Fine, fine." My leg muscles tensed for the run, but a familiar voice in my head said, _Calm down, Yoshiko._

I instantly recognized the voice. _Taiyo?_

_Got that right. Anyways, just run for now, _she told me.

Taiyo seemed to give me a burst of energy, and I ran to the opposite side, wind caressing my hair, ponytail floating up. I skidded to a halt once I saw the edge of the grass, turned to Toshiro, and asked, "How'd I do?"

"Look for yourself."

Dirt had been kicked up from my running, and dust still lingered in the air. Small tracks in the ground had been made by my feet. After finishing observing, I complained, "That doesn't help."

"Fine. Try and tag me."

As solemn and mature as he was, I never knew he would do something like that. "You sure you want to do this?" I questioned him.

"It may be childish, but this is one way I can prove your speed, alright?" he replied impatiently, and set one foot in front, ready to run.

I shrugged, but jumped forward anyway. I ran, legs pumping, and I tried running zigzag style while aiming for Toshiro. He leapt to the side, but I was prepared; I took a swerve and started chasing him. Despite his size, he was awfully fast… he was a few meters ahead of me, but it did prove that I had become faster. Even though I knew he was right, I refused to back down. He came to a halt, and I reached my hand out, but then he disappeared, to my dismay. I set my hand into the ground and flipped into the air, standing until I was upright. I set off again, and I thought with frustration, _How the heck am I supposed to catch him like this?_

_Don't worry, Yoshiko, I'll help, _came Taiyo's voice again.

_How? _I demanded as I continued chasing after him, focusing my vision on the "ten" on his haori. _Give me wings and let me fly away? I'm the one who's supposed to be chasing, thank you very much._

_Listen, if you have reiatsu over light, you should be able to travel faster. Release your reiatsu a little, _Taiyo retorted.

_Gosh, Captain Impatient. Chill, will ya?_

_Tell that to Toshiro and he will kick your-_

_Fine, I'll do as you say._

I released a little of my reiatsu at a time, the sunlight brightening a little, and I gained more speed. Deciding not to waste any more time, I just let it all out, and finally managed to tap his shoulder with my finger. He stopped as I did, and we stood there, unsure of what to do next. I nudged my toe into the dirt, a little shy.

_Aw, you two look so cute together, _snickered a watching Taiyo.

_As do you and Hyourinmaru, _I muttered tartly.

_That's my sis. Speaking of which, ask him to practice sword fighting with you._

I froze a little, nervous about this prospect. I finally stammered, "Uh…may you practice sword fighting with me?"

Toshiro glanced at the sky. "I was going to teach you kido spells, but…I guess so."

_Yes! Taiyo for the win! _Taiyo cheered. She then smirked and said, _Too bad sis isn't here. She wouldn't be able to hang out with her lover._

I ignored her, as Toshiro started talking. "Have you been explained what a zanpakuto is?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if you learn the name of your zanpakuto, you will be able to get more powerful transformations of it. The first is shikai, or the initial release. It changes the appearance a little, and is released by a unique command and the name of it. I'll show you mine." He drew out his sword and cried, "Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" and slashed at the air as if attacking an invisible enemy. A gigantic dragon made of ice spiraled into the air, and towered over both of us. I stared at it in awe; I then wondered how my shikai would look.

_Sis would love to see this, _Taiyo sighed dreamily, but with a mocking tone at the same time.

_Speaking of which, where is Tsuki?_

_Taking her daytime nap. She has it so easy…_

The ice dragon soon crumbled to the ground. Toshiro didn't sheath his sword, but continued. "The command was 'sit upon the frozen heavens,' and my zanpakuto's name is Hyourinmaru. The second and final release is bankai. This allows the user to increase their power much, much more, and has a different transformation. I'm not going to show you my bankai now; it'll take too much energy. Now, shall we fight?"

I drew my sword out with trembling fingers. "I'll try."

He noticed my look of unease, and assured, "I won't go too hard on you. Just try the best as you can."

I sighed. "Fine."

_Why don't you show him your shikai? _Taiyo ventured.

_I'm nervous! _I argued.

_Well, I'm not._

_Just wait._

_I'll help you direct where he is, no worries._

He charged forward, not using shunpo. I held the sword in front of me with shaking arms.

_You baka! _Taiyo yelled in my head. _Charge and clash with him! In a real battle, hesitation is the greatest enemy! Fight!_

His sword swung down in an arc, and I blocked it, arms shaking more with the force he was putting on it. The clang of the metal screeched in my ears…it was deafening me. We were now head-to-head; he said, "Nice block."

I smiled and replied, "Thanks," a kick following the compliment. I felt my foot brush a bit of cloth, but he had already jumped back, this time using shunpo. He raised his sword and said, "I want to see if you are good at dodging attacks. This will be important." Slashing once more, he yelled, "Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" The great ice dragon shot toward me, and I used shunpo to dodge it. The head crashed into the ground, ice shards flying everywhere. I flinched as one flew toward my face; Taiyo then shouted, _Watch out!_

The dragon had repaired itself as I flinched, and was now coming fast along the grass with the speed of a bullet. I almost had no choice but for it to hit me; Taiyo yelled, _Summon me, Yoshiko! Now!_

_But…_

_Just do it!_

With all the courage I could muster, I cried, "Shine, Taiyo Hinotori!" and held the blade out offensively.

What happened next I could not explain.

The blade immediately transformed into an opaque shaft of light, and the phoenix feathers on the hilt started to glow. However, that wasn't the thing that shocked me; I had indeed summoned Taiyo, her feathers a mixture of fire and sunlight, with her wings outstretched protectively, long tail swirling around me furiously. Her action reminded me so much of when I tried to protect my brother. I then noticed that I was sweltering in the heat; peeking through a gap between her tail I saw that the Hyourinmaru had stopped in its tracks, and Toshiro was staring at Taiyo. Taiyo turned her head and winked. "You okay, Yoshiko?"

"…Yeah." It was all I could do to stutter out those words. "Please let me out of the circle of your tail; I'm burning," I added. I truly was, beads of sweat sliding down my back freely. Taiyo did so with a chuckle, folded her wings and stood beside me. Toshiro asked, "Why didn't you tell me you could use shikai?"

"This is actually my first time using it…"

"Oh, is it? How did you learn the name of your zanpakuto?" Hyourinmaru also seemed to be looking on with interest.

I realized that I was gripping the hilt of the katana so hard that my hands had turned red and the feathers were swaying gently. Taiyo murmured, "Tell him."

"…A dream," I answered nervously. "Taiyo here and her sister Tsuki appeared to me in a dream. They told me that I was their master, and that if I should summon them I would call out 'shine.' So…"

"I understand," Toshiro said. Hyourinmaru crumbled again, and Taiyo bowed respectively to Toshiro and disappeared in small flames. The shaft of light that served as my blade returned to its metal form; I sheathed it carefully, the metal still being hot. I then realized how tired I was; controlling Taiyo was so much different than anything else I've ever felt. This led me to fall on one knee, my head bowed, sweat dripping from my forehead onto the grass. Even when breathing heavily I could hear Toshiro's footsteps; I looked up to see him with a hand out. "Here, we'll rest under the tree."

I gladly took it, and stood up. We walked over to a tree, and I felt relieved in the cool shade. I sat down and leaned against the rough bark and stared out into space. Toshiro and I sat silently, each lost in our own thoughts. He finally broke the silence by saying, "A pleasing child on a seaside field…is that what you are, Yoshiko?"

I looked at him, startled. "What do you mean?"

"Your name, of course."

My gaze dropped to my knees. "I don't know if I'm pleasing at all," I admitted. "After all, it was my parents who named me…" I abruptly halted at the mentioning of my parents. They were the ones who abandoned Kyousuke and I five years ago, when I was seven and Kyousuke was five. I clenched my fists. "And they left us alone, making us fend for ourselves in a world of danger. Now my brother is gone…I'm alone in this world," I said aloud, clenching my fists harder so that my knuckles were white. "How can a child be pleasing if she is the only one left?"

-Toshiro's POV-

Her sudden statement of being alone shocked me, and I watched as her hands curled up into fists and a single tear slipped down her pale cheek. "I'm so confused now," she murmured quietly. "I don't know if becoming a Soul Reaper was the right choice. If I made choices, I would usually do so with Kyousuke…but now he's gone." She rested her head onto her knees and rocked back and forth slowly. "I barely know anything about this place or anyone here and I've been dragged into this whole mess. And the person who dragged me here was…" her head raised a little, a single chocolate brown eye staring at me with loathing and hatred, and she whispered the last word menacingly.

"You."


	4. Chapter 4

_I apologize for this being a possibly crappy chapter and the VERY late update...I had tons of homework and barely had time to work on this...oh, and I apologize for my 'english dub' style, if I kept it too inconsistent it wouldn't be exactly good. I have a new story up, Zanpakuto Truth or Dare, and feel free to request dares! R&R!_

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Chapter 4

-Still Toshiro's POV-

I found myself unsettled by her glare and sudden change in attitude. I originally thought that brown eyes were full of happiness, so much like Hinamori's…in this case, it wasn't true. I protested, "I was doing it for your own good!"

"How do you know what's for my own good?" she inquired, voice just barely a mere whisper, and she was shaking with anger. "You've known me for at least an hour and you say that you know what's good for me. How do you know that it was good to bring me here? This has generated more wrong than right; my brother is out there, lost, and has a possibility of becoming a Hollow, I'm dead in the real world, and I am being kept under constant surveillance without any second chances at life. Tell me, Toshiro," she said quietly. "Tell me everything, from why you brought me here to why you seem to leave me no freedom of my opinions."

Her words seemed to have zipped my lips like a padlock. Here she was, talking nonsense that I couldn't register in my brain. First off, she's mad at me because she doesn't know why I brought her here; she actually agreed to it. Second, she's saying that she literally has no freedom of speech…how irksome, I mused. She could have just said what was on her mind, straight out. Now, looking at her, I was a little annoyed. She resumed the pessimistic demeanor, head back into her arms.

Then, I thought, she was unstable. She did say she had no parents, which meant no friends besides her brother, and she had lost him too. Also, all she lived in was a shack, and that would greatly decrease her health.

However, the greatest cause I suspected was her reiatsu.

-Flashback from the other night-

The doors of Division One's barracks closed silently. Rangiku hurried in, and Captain-Commander Yamamoto asked, "Is the child asleep?"

"Yes, she is," Rangiku replied, and took her position behind me. I knew that I would have to do most of the speaking tonight.

"We shall begin the meeting now. Everyone understands what this is all about, correct?"

There were silent nods all around.

"This is concerning the arrival of Yoshiko Hamano, who was attacked along with her brother by a Hollow. Captain Hitsugaya," Captain-Commander said, "I'm sure that there is more to your explanation from before?"

"Yes," I replied. "The Hollow did say she had a particularly strong reiatsu, which was quite true. She didn't look like a fighter…but, after all, you can't judge a book by its cover."

"Go on."

"Later, Matsumoto and I figured out that her reiatsu was light. She couldn't control her reiatsu, but I suppose that it would be natural with that immense of power. Her reiatsu corresponds with the sun and the moon, and if that power went berserk, anyone could get badly hurt." I paused a moment for emphasis, and added, "I also suppose that is why she is in such a bad condition. That reiatsu of hers may have caused some damage to her over her twelve years of life. My thought is that we could try and teach her how to control her reiatsu for her safety, and ours as well."

Soifon stepped forward, dark eyes narrowing. "She may have a strong reiatsu," she countered, "But that doesn't mean she has the privilege to be one of us. It will probably take years, let alone decades, to train her. We simply don't have time for a single girl. And if her powers do go wild, we might have second thoughts about keeping her here."

I bit my lip, but before I could speak, Captain Kyoraku replied, "Nothing is impossible," a smile on his face. "Even you should know that, Captain Soifon." Soifon scowled at him, but didn't say more.

"Any more questions?" Yamamoto asked. No one spoke up, so he continued, "If not, this meeting is dismissed." The captains and lieutenants started filing out of the room. As I started following Matsumoto outside, Yamamoto tapped my shoulder. "Report the training afterwards, please."

I nodded curtly, and hurried outside. Matsumoto was waiting, and we started heading back toward the barracks. We immersed ourselves in our own thoughts, but Matsumoto soon spoke, a hint of concern in her voice. "Captain, you looked rather uncomfortable when Soifon stated her opinion. Why is that?"

"Captain-Commander already told me to train the girl," I said quietly. "Captain Soifon does have a point…I don't know how I'll deal with her."

"C'mon, Captain, you have to deal with me and the rest of Division Ten," Matsumoto contradicted. "And lots of paperwork. Shouldn't it be easier to deal with her?"

"She's only so young, and might not be able to handle the pressure we're putting on her by trying to make her a shinigami."

Matsumoto sighed. "Captain Kyoraku said that nothing is impossible, and he's right. Why don't you believe you can do it? Better yet, why don't you _try_? I can give you time by doing the paperwork."

I raised an eyebrow warily. "How do I know that you won't take naps or drink sake? I might as well use a binding spell on you so you won't escape your chair."

"If I did that, I wouldn't have become your lieutenant."

I sighed in defeat. I knew Matsumoto could be serious when she wanted to. "Alright. Thanks, Matsumoto."

"You're welcome, Captain."

Arriving at the barracks, I walked in and plopped myself onto my mat, but couldn't fall asleep. Even trying to close my eyes and stop thinking about the past events didn't help. I stared up at the ceiling, and finally lapsed into a rather fitful sleep.

-Flashback ends-

She still had her head bowed, but no sobs were heard. I had some sympathy for her; she was trying to be tough despite her unfortunate past. I probably had to tell her what I thought…I reached over and tapped her shoulder. "Listen…"

"Listen to what?" came the muffled reply.

"Just hear what I have to say. The whole purpose of bringing you here was to try and help you regain strength and become more stable."

"In what way?"

"Your reiatsu may have some role in your health. I only brought you here so you could control it and deal less damage to your body. I apologize for not mentioning this earlier…so, in a way, we are doing this for your own good."

She slowly raised her head and looked at me with red eyes. Smiling, she murmured, "Thank you. I understand. I'm sorry for getting all worked up. Just one thing…can you take me to the real world?"

Taken aback, I asked, "Why? You still have more things to learn!"

"I know. But I want to go at least sometime this week…we can go and fight Hollows, but I want to search for my brother and send him to Soul Society." She fingered her katana delicately, looking down shyly. "If that's alright."

"I'll have to ask the Captain-Commander," I said.

"Thank you once more." She stood up, black ponytail swinging slightly, and picked up her zanpakuto. She then looked at me with an odd look, and said, "Stand up for a moment."

-Yoshiko's POV-

I couldn't resist adding a smirk. He stood up, slightly confused, and my hand immediately whizzed over his head. A vein pulsed in his forehead when he realized a little too late. "Why you…" he growled.

"You are so short!" I exclaimed. Not including his hair- that added about another head- he was only up to my nose. "Why, Kyousuke was taller than you…if you included the hair, you would be taller…"

A hand clapped over my mouth and my eyes. "Didn't I tell you not to mention anything about how he's a child? Don't call him short," a voice hissed, then brightened a little. "Guess who?"

"Rangiku…"

She removed her hands and stood in front of me, grinning. "Nice! How'd you guess?"

"You're the only person who has told me that information, and your hair was tickling my neck. I can't imagine a male having such long hair." I didn't bother adding the other detail.

"Hmm, that's true. Anyways, Captain, I've finished the paperwork!" Rangiku pulled out a sheaf of papers from out of nowhere and shoved them toward Toshiro.

"Is that so?" Toshiro asked calmly. "Did you finish the stack of papers under the…"

It only took those few words for Rangiku to be off and running. Toshiro sighed, and I muttered, "I told you it was a bad idea."

-Later at night-

-Toshiro's POV-

Captain-Commander Yamamoto had his back facing me, his lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe beside him. "How did the training go?" he questioned. We were back in Division One's barracks, and I was reporting the results of the training. The other captains and lieutenants didn't come this time, and Yoshiko was in the barracks sleeping. I stood in the room far enough from the door so that no one would eavesdrop on our conversation.

"Well, she now knows how to control her reiatsu and utilize shunpo. She also managed to activate shikai for the first time."

There was a moment of silence as Yamamoto absorbed this information. "This girl…how did she learn the name of her zanpakuto?"

"She said her zanpakuto spirits visited her in a dream."

"Spirits?" Yamamoto asked, noticing the plural. "She has two zanpakuto?"

"Yes. They take the form of two phoenixes, who are apparently sisters. The shikai she activated was the older of the two, a fire phoenix. When it is activated, the blade becomes a shaft of light and the phoenix is summoned. I am assuming the same thing would happen when it is night, except that the characteristics would be different."

"Anything else?"

"She broke down a little in the middle, thinking about her brother, and that she thought she was forced to stay here with no real reason. I consoled her by saying that it was for her health."

"Yes…it worked, I presume?"

"Hai."

"I see...if you don't mind, can you wake her up?"

I hesitated. "She's tired…may I ask why you want her to wake up?"

"I would like to see her shikai. This will also be your first time seeing in the nighttime, anyway."

"Alright." I walked out of the door and shunpoed over, not bothering to take my time. I opened the door to the Tenth Division and called out softly, "Yoshiko?"

A weary Yoshiko appeared, yawning. "What is it?"

"Captain-Commander Yamamoto wants to see your shikai."

"So late at night?"

"Yes. Come on."

"Fine." She dashed back to get her zanpakuto, and joined me at the door. Yamamoto had caught up, and I closed the door behind us. Yoshiko bowed to Yamamoto and asked, "Would you like me to show my shikai?" Yamamoto nodded. She unsheathed her sword and called out quietly:

"Shine, Tsuki Hinotori!" and slashed downward.

I was right on the characteristics of her sword being different in the night; the blade became a moonbeam, and the beautiful silver phoenix soared into the sky, shining brightly against the moon and the stars. She landed beside Yoshiko and asked, "You needed me, master?"

Yoshiko shook her head. "The Captain-Commander wanted to see my shikai."

Yamamoto gazed up at the giant bird. "Interesting. Even though this is an ice zanpakuto, it seems to be rather calm and gentle. Your sister is the complete opposite of you, ability and personality-wise, correct?" he asked the phoenix.

"Yes," she replied. She then gazed at me intently, and asked, "You're the owner of Hyourinmaru, right?"

I nodded, a little surprised, and asked back, "What do you want?"

"Please activate your shikai as well," the phoenix said coolly.

I looked at Yamamoto, and he gave the signal that I could. I unsheathed my own zanpakuto and called, "Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!"

The ice dragon shot into the sky, and Hyourinmaru grumbled, _Why did you summon me?_

_Ask the phoenix._

Hyourinmaru turned to look at Tsuki Hinotori with what would have been a questionable look. She in response tilted her head high, spread her silver wings and took to the sky. Hyourinmaru followed, and they spiraled around each other, seeming to enjoy themselves. Yoshiko whispered, "Tsuki loves Hyourinmaru." She giggled. "She was just trying to be with him."

I was shocked a bit. But, it all made sense…Hyourinmaru was a dragon, and Tsuki Hinotori was a phoenix. Zanpakuto depended on the master's _soul_…I couldn't help but think that a dragon and a phoenix meeting was too much of a coincidence to be real.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hopefully I'll have more time to write during spring break..._

_and I realized how much my OC's zanpakuto is like Maki Ichinose's :P_

_R&R_

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Chapter 5

-Yoshiko's POV-

After setting foot in the real world through the Senkaimon, I felt oddly at ease. Toshiro stood behind me, and said, "Well…we're here."

I nodded and simply replied, "…Yeah."

It was four days after the first training session. The days following, Toshiro taught me some basic kido spells, and helped me sharpen my senses by sparring with me. "When you go to the real world," he had told me, "do not use your shikai. Its reiatsu will have too much of an effect on humans. Only use it as a last resort, or if you can keep the reiatsu stable."

"What about kido?"

"I guess that'll be fine; just don't use it too much."

Now, I stood here, thinking about what I was to do. "Did Captain-Commander Yamamoto approve of this search and killing of hollows?" I asked uneasily.

"He did. Don't worry; our job is to get rid of Hollows and send Pluses to Soul Society, anyway. We will find your brother and send him to Soul Society."

"How will we find him, though?"

"Look for Hollows. They feast on souls, so there's a likely chance that your brother would be somewhere near."

I craned my neck and looked around. "I don't hear anything, nor see anything."

The sound of beeping suddenly filled my ears, and my attention averted to the source of the sound, which seemed to come from Toshiro. "What…" I asked tentatively. Then I felt as if a strong wind were blowing; was it a Hollow?

Toshiro held a cellphone-like object in his hand, and flipped it open. A red dot was visible on the screen, and he pointed to our left. "Follow me!" he ordered. I nodded and sprinted after him toward where a Hollow was and possibly where my brother was.

-Kyousuke's POV-

I felt it before I saw it. I was almost blown over, and I was now scared out of my mind. I had spent the days hiding from the monsters and the carrot-head and the girl as well. It seemed like wherever a monster was, the carrot-head would be there as well (Rukia, the girl, called him Ichigo, but I preferred carrot-head.) I wondered if he would be here now. However, I didn't sense his presence…I was already familiar with it. This time, it was one that seemed rather comforting and calming, and another that was icy and cold. The owner of the first reiatsu's name wouldn't roll off my tongue; I tried saying, "Y-y-y…"

It then struck me.

Yoshiko had come back.

I could barely contain my excitement; I sprinted toward where I thought she was. But, something felt oddly wrong; it seemed as if it were slowly turning to night. I glanced up at the sky, but the only thing that met my eyes was another huge monster looming before me, the white mask the greatest contrast to its black body.

-Yoshiko's POV-

"There seems to be two groups, and there's plenty in each. We'll split."

"Alright, I'll take the right side," I offered, and ran off, spotting a huge black mass in the distance. I started to shunpo over, but a red arm swept toward me. I jumped hastily and swung my sword at it, splitting it cleanly. The Hollow screamed, and I scowled at it; it was busting my eardrums. Tensing, I sprang until I was in front of its face and swiped at its neck, cutting the head off. The black particles started to drift into the air, and I continued toward the much larger black one.

I only chose that target because I felt Kyousuke's spiritual pressure there, and tried to shunpo over again, but was blocked by three more Hollows.

Damn them.

I glared up at the identical grinning faces. "Get out of my way," I demanded.

"You think you can force us away like that?" one sneered.

"What business do you have with me?" I asked coldly.

"Just to kill you, shinigami," another hissed, and aimed a punch. I blocked it with my sword, the force making me skid back. I growled when the Hollow said slyly, "What if we added a fist or two? Would you hold then?" and used his free fist to punch, forcing me back even more. I breathed heavily, running through ideas with my mind. Then, I was reminded of what Toshiro had told me: I could use my shikai as long as my reiatsu was stable and not as affecting toward the humans. I calmed myself down, relaxing. The Hollow thought it had its chance; it also relaxed for a split-second, but that was a lethal mistake.

I jumped onto his fist and used it as a trampoline, despite the hardness of it; holding my zanpakuto high above my head, I told them venomously, "Never underestimate a shinigami. Shine, Taiyo Hinotori!"

The faithful Taiyo appeared, cutting through them with just one flaming wing, gliding past them as if she were on ice. When they disappeared, Taiyo muttered to me, "I can't believe you couldn't hold them off without summoning me."

"Shut up. How much do you expect from me after barely a week?"

"Much more than that! Captain Hitsugaya wouldn't have brought you to Soul Society otherwise."

I scoffed and sheathed the sword, Taiyo leaving in a flash of bright light. Scanning the area, I saw that there weren't any Hollows; I shunpoed over to the black Hollow, hoping that my brother was there and safe…for now.

-Kyousuke's POV-

Everything about the monster made me shake: the appearance, the reiatsu it was letting out, and just the very presence of it. I stared up at it, and a grin stared back down. It laughed, the laugh echoing all around the town, and remarked, "I'm surprised I found a soul here. There's apparently been a shinigami here getting rid of us Hollows and sending the other souls to _Soul Society._" It snorted in disgust. "Those fools are just wasting their time. I thought the shinigami prowling around here had gotten all the souls there were."

"Wait…you mean those kimonoed figures are shinigami?" I exclaimed.

It would have looked strangely at me if I could see its face. "What else? You really don't know much about the shinigami, do you?"

"All I know is that they've took my sister!" I blurted out, but immediately regretted saying so as the monster leaned in closer, the putrid smell of its breath overwhelming me.

"See? The shinigami are wasting their time, and apparently they're now trying to find more souls to strengthen themselves. We are trying to override them…would you like to join us, if you hate them so much?" It held out a hand with incredibly sharp nails, and I could imagine my blood glistening on them if I disagreed. I shivered, but shook my head.

"No," I stated firmly.

"Why not?"

"I want to do this alone to try to find my sister and protect her. I don't need anyone's help."

It gave a terrifying roar of outrage, and snatched me up, squeezing me so tightly that I was almost unable to breathe. "You little brat! That pushed me to the limit! Which reminds me, I am quite hungry…as a punishment, I will eat you!"

"No…" I tried to say, but another voice said it for me.

"NO!"

A black figure darted from the side, cutting off the hand of the monster with a katana in her hand. I felt myself falling and screamed, but the figure caught me and set me on the ground, hugging me, then finally looking me in the eyes. "Kyousuke, are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"…Nii-chan…" I stuttered. Yoshiko was here, but she was wearing a black kimono like the shinigami, and had a…different…aura around her. "Why are you one of them?"

Yoshiko looked at me and smiled sadly. "I'll explain everything later, Kyo," she said, using my old nickname. "First, we need to get somewhere safe…"

The monster laughed aloud, laughed almost endlessly. Yoshiko turned around and glared at the monster "So, your sister was kidnapped _and _made into a shinigami? That's quite surprising. Well, now I get two souls to eat, this will probably be a good feast, considering that one is a shinigami." His hand reached out greedily for the both of us, and I couldn't think of anything else besides death.

-Yoshiko's POV-

I jumped out of the way, pulling Kyousuke out of the path of the lightning-quick hand onto the roof of a low building. Katana in hand, I faced the Hollow, who had that everlasting smile on his mask. "Not bad for a puny shinigami," it admitted. "Not bad at all."

Gripping the hilt until my knuckles turned white, I asked angrily, "Why does that matter?"

"Of course it matters, you bug. The stronger you are, the tastier you are. I'll have my feast here and now, if you don't mind."

"You bastard," I muttered. "You're the one that's going to _become _a feast, a roasted one at that." I slid a finger across the flat side of the blade and commanded, "Shine, Taiyo Hinotori!"

Taiyo appeared once more and said, annoyed, "What now?"

"Are you blind? Don't you see that huge Hollow in front of you?"

Taiyo's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Holy crap, you expect me to beat that big blob?" she exclaimed.

"We're going to work together, okay?"

"Fine, fine." She then looked behind me and saw Kyousuke, staring at her in awe. "This is your little bro?"

"Yeah. Just pay attention to the Hollow now." I narrowed my eyes at the Hollow, then leapt forward and swung forward the sword, Taiyo flying gracefully, leaving a trail of flames and smoke behind her. She rammed into the Hollow's other arm, catching it on fire and incinerating it to a crisp. It screamed and lashed a tail out at me, which I swiftly dodged. I put my right hand out, palm facing the Hollow, and set my left hand onto my wrist, grabbing the katana from my right. Concentrating my reiryoku into my hand, I recited:

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado no. 31: Shakkaho!"

The red orb of energy shot toward the Hollow's forehead, and resulted in a large explosion. The dust cleared moments later, the Hollow staggering back, dizzy. It started laughing again and said, "You think that's enough to defeat me and possibly even blind me? I can still pinpoint your brother's reiatsu, and get him instead." His tail sped like a bullet toward the fear-paralyzed Kyousuke.

"Kyousuke!!!" I yelled, and shunpoed to reach my brother first. I hurled myself in front of him and felt the tail jab into my stomach. My katana flew out of my hand, Taiyo disappearing in small flames. My vision started to blur and I coughed out the salty blood, feeling blood staining my stomach as well. The tail yanked out of my stomach, sending me stumbling forward and collapsing on my side, hand covering the wound. Blood flowed freely, and I winced. Kyousuke ran to me and cried, "Sis!"

"Kyo…just run…" I murmured, pressing harder against my wound and biting my lip.

"You didn't have to do that, sis!" Kyousuke's eyes started to brim with tears.

"I had to…to repay you…for saving my life…and so I could make up for running away…"

"It's not your fault, it's the shinigami…"

Shock coursed through my body. "It's not…"

"Don't worry, sis, I'll make sure they pay," he promised.

"Kyo…it's not…" I repeated, but he ignored me and faced the Hollow.

"Take me!" he shouted at the Hollow. "Take me, but spare Yoshiko's life! Please!"

"Kyousuke! Don't!" I yelled, but the pain took over and I started coughing out more crimson liquid.

The Hollow, as if agreeing, wrapped Kyousuke around with its tail. "Alright, I spare the little shinigami. But, you must not escape us." The Hollow started to go away.

"Kyousuke…" I whispered, and struggled to get up. However, I flopped back down onto the hard stone roof, the wound opening even more. "Don't go…"

Unconsciousness started to spread, and all I saw was black nothingness.


	6. Chapter 6

_yay I got a chapter up! :P hehe, R&R_

* * *

Chapter 6

_I reached out and grabbed his small hands, which felt cool against my own. "No…don't leave…" I pleaded._

_Kyousuke smiled. "I'll come back," he promised, pulling his hands away. "The shinigami are the ones who made this all happen."_

_"No! They aren't!" I yelled. "Kyo, you don't understand…"_

_"They took you away and made you into one of them," he said, and clenched his fists. "They'll pay for sure. Especially that white-haired one who took you at midnight."_

_"They did nothing wrong!" I cried, but Kyousuke ignored me. _

_"I'll come back for you," he restated, and started to leave._

_"No, you come back…" _

My eyes flew open in a daze, and I was sweating like crazy on a white bed. The room I was in was very bright; the scent of medicine and all was hanging in the air. Two faces stared down at me, one being Toshiro and the other being a female captain, indicated by her haori. I sat up immediately only to have my injured stomach deal more damage to me, and winced. The female captain said sweetly, "Now, you mustn't push yourself, little Yoshiko Hamano."

I blinked at her. "I'm sorry, but what is your name?"

"Retsu Unohana, captain of the Fourth Division," she replied with a smile. To me, she appeared very young; her long black hair was tied in a braid in the front, and her blue eyes were bright and kind. "Why don't you lie back down?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, not right now. May I talk to Captain Hitsugaya for a moment?" Captain Unohana nodded politely and backed out of the room. I turned to Toshiro and asked him, "How long have I been out?"

"Two days."

"What?!" I exclaimed. "I've been out for two days?!"

"Keep it down," he hissed, narrowing his eyes. "Yes, you have been out for two days. After I got rid of all the Hollows, I sensed your reiatsu fade away and found you on a rooftop, injured heavily, and your zanpakuto on the ground. What happened?"

A tear slipped down my cheek when he asked. "I…I found Kyousuke about to be eaten by a Hollow. I removed the Hollow's arms, but it used its tail to attack Kyousuke."

"And you used yourself as a shield?"

"Yes. It was to repay him for saving me and for me running away from his spirit. Then…" My voice started cracking, and I shook with sadness, letting the tears fall freely. "He allowed himself to be taken by the Hollow, and promised me that he would soon come and make the shinigami pay. I tried telling him the truth, but he wouldn't listen." Toshiro was quiet as I explained, and I added, wiping my tears away, "Toshiro…I'm apologize to you and the rest of Soul Society…"

"It's fine," he said, but an eyebrow twitched. "And it's Captain Hitsugaya to you."

"I can't help it if you're maybe younger than I am, and it won't exactly roll off my tongue well. So, deal with it," I argued.

He sighed. "Fine, Hamano."

"It's Yoshiko to you."

"Anyway, it's not your fault…it was just a misunderstanding," he said, trying to change the topic.

"A misunderstanding can be dangerous," I pointed out. "Like now."

"So he's now a part of the Hollows?"

I sighed. "Yeah. He might turn into something worse, though."

"Just hope for the best." Toshiro handed my zanpakuto to me, which was lying by the bedside. "There's a captain's meeting soon, so just stay in the Tenth Division. Can you get up?"

I took the katana and carefully swung my legs over the side. "I think so. Captain Unohana?" I called out.

Unohana came back in, and asked, "What is it?"

"May I be permitted to leave?"

"Are you sure you're well enough?"

"I think so."

"Alright; you may change back into a new shihakusho." She pointed to a folded one on a bedside table. "Don't exercise too often with that wound of yours."

"Thank you, Captain." Captain Unohana and Toshiro left the room, leaving me to change clothes. I took off the white patient's robe and switched into the shihakusho, strapping the katana onto my back. I pushed back the curtains of the only window, and the setting sun cast fire across the sky. Taiyo's voice then reached me and asked, _Are you alright?_

_Does it look like it?_

_Well, no, but you get my point. What's going on?_

_I feel guilty. Kyo misunderstands me and thinks that Soul Society is the enemy…he's joined the Hollows to spare my life…now everything's gone wrong in the first week I've been here._

_Why must you be so pessimistic? _Taiyo demanded. _Why don't you ever think of things in a good way? Do you just think that it's now impossible to save your brother? Don't you even think about changing yourself?_

_I have! But…it's hard to change someone, especially yourself. _I walked to the bed and sat on it, head bowed down in thought.

_It's not impossible, though. If you want to change yourself, then you have to be patient. It takes an extremely long time; start in finding happiness in yourself._

_I don't know what's happy in my life._

I knew Taiyo would have slapped me if she had materialized in the room. _You baka! You know your brother still cares for you, and the Gotei 13 are trying to help you and support you. Toshiro's trying the hardest to make you change. See? People are trying to help you change._

_I…_

_'Think it's impossible'? No! Remember? Toshiro said that he brought you here for your own good. Yoshiko, just believe me. Please. You're making me depressed too._

_Taiyo…_

_Yes?_

_Sorry. And thanks._

_As in…?_

_Sorry for making you depressed, and thanks for the advice._

_Don't thank me, _Taiyo said gruffly. _Tsuki lectures me about this all the time. Speaking of which, she's going to switch with me soon. Sayonara._

At that moment, knocking was heard. "You there?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry, I was communicating with my zanpakuto. Coming!" I opened the door and walked out. Captain Unohana and Toshiro were waiting patiently. I bowed to Captain Unohana and said, "Thank you for healing my wound."

The kind smile was still on her face as she replied, "You're welcome, little Yoshiko." Toshiro also bowed curtly to her, and started walking away. I followed him out (as I didn't know where the exit was) and we finally were met with fresh air. Toshiro coughed a little, and admitted, "I never got used to the Fourth Division's smell."

I smiled lightly but didn't say anything. We continued walking, the light gradually fading away as the minutes passed. Toshiro spoke again after a few minutes. "Yoshiko?"

"What?"

"Don't be so reckless next time."

I rolled my eyes. "If my recklessness saves you one day, you will regret saying that."

"A captain doesn't need saving."

"Depends on the situation, doesn't it? For instance, a surprise attack…"

"I don't need to repeat myself, do I?" he growled.

"Nah; I'd rather you not. Anyways, I'd like to thank you."

He was a little surprised at this, turquoise eyes questioning. "Why?"

I looked down in embarrassment. "Well…for spending time with me and helping me improve."

"It was only on the Captain-Commander's order," he replied.

"Still, thanks."

Division Ten's barrack was in sight, and I started to walk faster. "You can go," I told Toshiro. "Don't worry, I won't run off."

He smirked and responded, "You better not." With that, he turned and started to shunpo toward Division One. I opened the door and went in, yawning. I went over to my mat and lay down, running through what had happened in my life so far. First, I was born in a poor family, then Kyousuke, and when I was seven our parents left…five years later, we were attacked by a Hollow…

-Flashback-

Kyousuke yawned in the afternoon sun. "It feels nice to actually come out and exercise," he said. "And have a dip in the river."

I poked him on his side affectionately. "You idiot, that was because you accidentally fell in while running away from me."

He grinned widely. "Yeah, I guess so. That tag game was pretty fun. Too bad we couldn't have more friends to play with…"

"We already have an unfortunate life," I reminded him.

"We do have each other, though."

"True." I smiled at him, his clothes now partially dry. We walked down the street among the bustling people, but they ignored us; that was what we wanted.

I thought I heard a distinctive roar coming from somewhere. Stopping in my tracks, I whispered, "Do you hear that, Kyousuke?"

"Hear what?"

The roar came again, this time clearer and louder. "Now I do," Kyousuke said nervously. "But where is it coming from? More importantly, _what _is it?"

"I don't know…we should check."

"Are you sure, sis?"

"Yeah. Curiosity is killing me."

"You aren't a cat."

"Don't take things too literally. C'mon." I grabbed his arm and started to pull him to where I thought the thing was. He staggered along, and we finally rounded a corner, but didn't see anything.

"Where is it?" I muttered.

Kyousuke pointed in another direction, and there were screaming people running away from a destroyed building. "Maybe they know. Let's go ask."

We ran over to a screaming woman and I asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know!" she sobbed. "The building just broke down for no reason! That was also one of my favorite stores!" she ran away, still screaming.

"That lady just busted my eardrums," Kyousuke muttered. "That also wasted five seconds of my life."

"Kyo, that doesn't matter…" I started to say, but froze at the sight of the huge monster coming into view. Surprisingly, no one was screaming AND pointing at the thing…they couldn't see it? Kyousuke turned around and froze immediately. The street was almost completely evacuated, and the monster turned its big ugly head toward us.

"Looks like my little plan worked," it hissed in delight. "Now I can have my main course: two humans with rather high of reiatsu."

-Flashback ends-

Then my brother dies right in front of my eyes. Then Toshiro comes and kills off the Hollow…he comes with Rangiku later at midnight and takes me to Soul Society…I meet Taiyo and Tsuki in a dream, and they become my zanpakuto. The next day I train with Toshiro…then, a few days later, I go with him to the real world and fight Hollows and to find Kyousuke, which was successful but then Kyousuke protects me by giving himself to the Hollows. I wake up the Fourth Division after being injured, and now I'm here, replaying all this.

I truly felt guilty about asking Toshiro about going to the real world. I felt like a spoiled brat: I did what I wanted. Frowning deeply, I cursed at myself for being such a useless pest to the Gotei 13.

But, before I could think anymore, a loud cry was heard.

"Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Intruders in the Seireitei!"


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry for the crazy late update...had tons of hmk. Also, I'm not sure about the timing of this arc...since it appears that time passes really quickly for battles...so I'm guessing on this, plz don't blame me. R&R!_

* * *

Chapter 7

"All squads, take defensive positions!"

I grabbed my zanpakuto and headed out the door. The people of the Tenth Division were already outside, murmuring and pointing up at the sky. Following their gaze, I spotted a rather large sphere of energy heading our way. It then collided with the barrier surrounding Seireitei, crackles of electricity flying from the point of contact. I asked someone beside me, "What is that?"

"Apparently a few ryoka are inside that cannonball," he replied, gaze still fixed onto the orb of energy. "They're trying to get into Soul Society."

I went forward, still staring up at the sky. The cannonball finally managed to break through, and after a while split into four orange bursts of orange, each heading a different direction. Toshiro was in the front of our division, also looking up at the cloudy sky. I walked up to him and asked, "Do you want me to help with the searching?"

"I think you still need to rest," he replied rather flatly.

"I've been out for two days!"

"I know you still feel pain. Just go and rest."

I scowled but obliged to his orders, and headed back into the barracks. I lay down on my mat again, glaring up at the ceiling. Who was he to think that I needed to rest? Sure, I was injured, but it didn't hurt THAT much…I rolled on my side and the dull aching pain started all over again, causing me to cringe and scowl once more.

I take that back.

Sighing, I rolled onto my back again, putting my hands behind my head. Although I struggled to remain awake, I closed my eyes and immersed myself in a rather fitful sleep.

* * * * *

_I fell to my knees, gasping. Blood bubbled in my mouth and I grimaced at the salty taste. Glancing down, I saw a silvery blue blade protruding from under my chest, the end of it stained red. Droplets of blood fell, splattering the ground below. A low cackle sounded behind me, and I turned my head slowly to face my attacker._

_Spiky hair…brown eyes…_

_"Why, Kyo?" I murmured. "Why?!"_

_Kyousuke gazed at me with emotionless eyes, but I swear I saw his eyes flicker. There was the faintest flash of his regular eyes…I repeated, "Why?"_

_"You are one of them. I had to do this."_

_"That's not a reason."_

_"You tell me why you're one of them!" he roared, and pushed the blade further. I cringed and cried, "Kyo! It's not their fault!"_

_"Either they've wiped your memory or you simply aren't Yoshiko!"_

_"I am Yoshiko!"_

_"Prove it!"_

_I fell silent, looking at him pleadingly. "I promise I'll tell you the truth…"_

_Kyousuke's hand was shaking, knuckles white from gripping too tightly. "Tell me."_

_"I…" I felt myself running out of breath, and I started to fall down into a bottomless pit, grabbing the blade and pulling Kyousuke along with me…_

_* * * * * _

I woke up, continuing to gasp. When I looked up to see that everything was dark, I started to panic and almost hyperventilate…until I flailed my arms and figured that I had somehow managed to wriggle under the covers. I threw the blanket off and inhaled deeply, taking in the now familiar scent of Division Ten. I yawned and peered out the window…it was morning ALREADY?!

Groaning, I strapped my zanpakuto onto my back and ran out of the division. No one was in sight…turning my head to the left, there was a building. Turning to the right, there was a wall. Looking up, there was the sky.

No luck for today.

I sighed and unsheathed my katana, muttering unenthusiastically, "Shine, Taiyo Hinotori."

Taiyo appeared by my side, beak wide open in what I thought was a yawn. "What now?" she asked moodily, spreading her wings.

"Keep your reiatsu down. Anyways, can I ride on your back?"

Taiyo growled a little. "What for?"

"I woke up with no one around and thought I would search for Toshiro or Rangiku up in the air."

"What do you expect me to do if they're in a building? Blow fire at it and make it collapse on top of them? Yeah, the only people you'd find would be dead ones."

I snorted. "How would you know which one to blow fire at?"

"Sensing reiatsu, dumbass."

"Don't call your master a dumbass."

"I thought you didn't want me to call you 'master.'"

"Shut up, Taiyo."

It was her turn to snort. "Make me."

I held the sword, the tip almost touching the sheath. "I win."

Taiyo sighed. "Fine, I'll allow you to ride on my back. Will you get burned?"

"Probably not. If others tried to, their ass probably would get fried."

"Whoa, whoa. Since when were you the type to talk dirty?"

"I do so when I want!" I snapped, and jumped onto her back. "Here, just take me over Seireitei and search for someone with strawberry-blonde or white hair."

"Alrighty passenger, here we go!" Taiyo beat her powerful wings and took off, I grasping on to her feathers for dear life. I laughed with joy after being so high in the air…looking down, I hadn't imagined Seireitei being this beautiful. We flew around for a while and I looked at the many buildings go by in a blur. I finally spotted a young girl running and I told Taiyo, "Just drop me off here, I'll ask her for where everyone is."

"That's for you to do."

I sighed and put the sword back in the sheath, and jumped down. The raven-haired girl looked up, seeing my descending shadow, and I landed neatly in front of her. I saw a lieutenant's badge on her arm- something I recognized from Rangiku- and bowed politely. The girl looked at me curiously and asked, "Who are you?"

"Yoshiko Hamano from the Tenth Division, I guess." I wasn't really sure how to put it, as I wasn't exactly assigned a division and felt awkward to say that I wasn't from anywhere.

She smiled. "Ah, Hitsugaya-kun's division. He did mention a little about a girl whom had pretty much an opposite zanpakuto than his. I'm Momo Hinamori, lieutenant of the Fifth Division." She bowed a little too and added, "I'm sorry if you wanted to ask me something, but I'm kind of in a hurry, so may I please go?"

Although disappointed, I replied, "Sure." She sped off, running quickly. I gazed after her and sighed.

That wasn't what I had expected.

I started to turn and walk away when I heard an ear-splitting scream.

Was it Momo?

I sprinted the way she had gone, narrowing my eyes. I rounded a corner and saw Momo, he eyes glued onto something on the wall, mouth gaping. I looked up and gasped; a captain was stuck to the wall by his own zanpakuto, a wide trail of blood on the wall. He had rather messy brown hair, rectangular glasses, and his eyes were open in the trance of death. By Momo's expression, I could tell that it was her captain.

The patter of footsteps sounded, and I turned to see Rangiku and three others run toward us: one with sunglasses, one with blond hair, and another with "69" tattooed on his cheek. The blond one looked up at the wall and muttered, "It can't be…"

Rangiku and the others looked up as well. "Captain Aizen!" she exclaimed, mouth gaping.

Momo walked forward slowly as if in a trance, whispering, "Captain Aizen…no…no…" Tears slid down her cheeks freely as she cried, "CAPTAIN AIZEN!!!" and knelt down on her knees in despair, head bowed low, whole body shaking.

After a few moments of silence, a new voice asked, "What's with all this ruckus so early in the mornin'?" We all turned to see another captain, eyes seemingly closed and a grin plastered onto his face. I stepped back a little…the man was intimidating.

"Uh oh, here's a serious incident, eh?" he continued, smiling like heck. I gazed at him warily, but my attention switched to Momo when she yelled, "Was it you?!" She started charging toward the grinning captain, drawing out her sword as she did so. The captain smiled as if it were nothing, and before Momo could strike the captain, the blond haired man appeared in front of him, blocking Momo's sword.

And of course, the captain's smile brightened.

Momo moved the sword, trying to get past the blonde's sword. "Kira-kun…why?"

The one named Kira stared at Momo with piercing blue eyes. "I'm the lieutenant of Division Three. No matter what, I won't allow anyone to point their sword at the captain."

Momo glared at him, arm shaking. The captain started to leave and Momo tried to strike again, but Kira blocked it and shook his head. Momo struggled harder and pleaded, "I'm begging you, get out of the way, Kira-kun!"

"I can't do that," he replied calmly.

"MOVE!" she cried, pushing against the sword.

"Stop!" Kira commanded.

"DON'T YOU HEAR ME TELLING YOU TO MOVE?!?!" she screamed.

"DON'T YOU HEAR ME TELLING YOU TO STOP?!" he yelled.

That pushed Momo to the limit. She drew back her sword, red reiatsu and its manifestation of flower petals surrounding her, and shouted, "Snap, Tobiume!!!" The sword transformed to have three prongs on it, and a fireball launched from it, creating a massive explosion in between them. I shielded my eyes from all the smoke and dust while trying to peer past it at the same time. Momo and Kira skidded back, and Kira growled, "Releasing your zanpakuto in a place like this…how irresponsible! Do you realize what you're doing?"

Momo held her sword high, breathing heavily.

"Don't confuse private matters with public ones, Lieutenant Hinamori!"

Momo launched another fireball at him, but he dodged it and it went upwards, smashing into a wall. Kira glared at Momo and muttered, "I see. I have no choice, then. I will treat you as an enemy." He jumped up into the air, holding his sword above his head, and yelled, "Raise your head, Wabisuke!" The sword formed a square hook, and Momo lifted her sword up, reiatsu skyrocketing. They were about to clash…but the next thing happened so quickly.

Toshiro appeared, driving Momo's zanpakuto into the ground with his foot, and blocked Kira's with his sword on his back, the blade withdrawn a little so that Kira's blade struck the metal. "Don't either of you move a muscle," he growled threateningly.

"Hitsugaya-kun…" Momo murmured.

"Arrest both of them," Toshiro ordered, staring straight ahead at something I couldn't imagine. Rangiku and the man with the sunglasses restrained Momo while the other man restrained Kira. "Hitsugaya-kun!" Momo cried.

"Hinamori!" Toshiro scolded, glowering at her. "Is this the time to be fighting with each other?!" Momo started trembling a little as he continued, "Shouldn't our first priority be taking Captain Aizen down?"

Momo's mouth opened a little, but she didn't speak. Toshiro glanced at her and said, "I'll make the report to Captain-Commander Yamamoto. Put these two in detention." Rangiku and the two men started to lead Momo and Kira away. I tried to follow them, but Toshiro gave me a look that plainly said, _Stay. You need to explain how and why you are here._

The other fox-faced captain turned toward Toshiro. "Sorry, 10th Captain, to make ya waste yer time on my lieutenant."

"Ichimaru…" Toshiro muttered, not looking at him, "You were about to kill Hinamori."

I widened my eyes, looking at the captain named Ichimaru. His expression didn't change when he calmly asked, "Well now, whatever are ya talkin' about?"

"I'll tell you this now. If you make Hinamori spill one drop of blood…" he turned to Ichimaru with a look of murderous intent- "I'll kill you."

"That's scary," Ichimaru remarked. "We'll have to watch her closely so no bad guys can git to her." He turned to me, and I stepped back again, staring at him fearfully. "Ya shouldn't have said that in front of this little girl, Captain, I think ya scared her a bit."

Toshiro said nothing, didn't even look my direction. Then, I saw three men running toward us, one calling, "What happened, Captain Ichimaru, Captain Hitsugaya?" They stopped in their tracks after seeing, as Toshiro called him, Captain Aizen stuck to the wall and stuttered, "This…" "Captain Aizen is…" "What…"

"Take Captain Aizen down from there," Toshiro ordered. After receiving a terrified 'Yes, sir' from one of them, he nodded at me and started to walk away from Gin. I followed him, trying to steady my gait, not daring to look back at Captain Ichimaru. When I couldn't see him anymore and thought he was out of earshot, I started to speak, but Toshiro interrupted me, turning to face me. "Let's start with the main topics. How in the world did you get here?"

"I rode my zanpakuto…?" I replied nervously, and shrugged.

"You mean you activated your zanpakuto's shikai and rode on its back? For what reason?" He looked at me calmly, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well, I woke up after having a nightmare and no one was around, so I decided to look for someone. Since I don't know Seireitei that well, I decided to look from up above and summoned Taiyo, warning her to hide her reiatsu as well. So I went above and saw Hinamori…after landing, I asked her if anyone was here, but she wouldn't give me any information as she said she was in a hurry. I was about to walk away when she screamed, and that's how I got dragged into this whole mess." I took a deep breath, having to say that quickly and in one breath only. "I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to do anything like that…"

Toshiro sighed. "Stop saying sorry. You'll look too pitiful, for heaven's sake."

"That's because I am…"

"Ever heard of high self-esteem? Because that's something you need to become a better shinigami." He started walking away again, leaving me with a stupid look on my face. Shaking my head, I hurried after him, knowing that what he had said was undoubtedly correct.

* * *

_Hehe, odd ending, I know. Thanks to everyone who favorited, alerted, and reviewed this story. Arigato!_


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